From the mid-sixteenth century the management of the Papal Dispatch Riders and Couriers was entrusted to the General Supervisor of the Papal Posts.

It was also the task of this lay dignitary of the papal court to make advance arrangements and provision for horses and lodgings during the Pontiff''s journeys, and to accompany and precede him wherever he went. If the Master Horseman happened to be absent, he stood in for him by opening and closing the Holy Father's carriage door.

With the constitution of the State of the Vatican City in 1929, it became the responsibility of the General Supervisor of the Papal Posts to meet together with our lay dignitaries, the sovereigns and heads of state at the border of the papal palace when they were on their way to an audience with the Pope.

Monday, November 28, 2016

From the time of Gregory the Great (590 - 604), the general administration of the Palatine Stables was entrusted to this lay dignitary of the Papal Court.

Whenever the pope went out in a carriage or on horseback through the city, or set out on a journey, the Master Horseman would visit the monsignoral prefect for information about the route to be taken, so as to make the appropriate arrangements for a herald and to ride before the papal carriage.

His perogative, besides that of being able to open and close the Holy Father's carriage door (genuflecting after doing so, as the pope exited), was that of presenting the Pontiff with a horse to ride, and then of taking it back again.

After 1870 the post of Master Horseman became merely honorary. It was completely abolished in 1968 by Paul VI.

Present in the Papal Court since the time of Alexander V (1409 - 1410), the High Quartermaster was the first among the palatine officials of the Monsignor Major-Domo, whose functions he assumed when the Major-Domo was absent.

Appointed for life at the Pope's discretion, he was entrusted with oversight of the buildings, gardens, water and furnishings of the Apostolic Palaces, including the care of the papal wardrobe and the organisation of the Pope's journeys and vacations, taking charge of the arrangement of lodgings.

From the end of the eighteenth century the post of High Quartermaster of the Sacred Apostolic Palaces was conferred exclusively on a member of the noble Roman family of the Marchesi Sacchetti. It was finally abolished in 1968 by Paul VI.

Friday, November 25, 2016

"What my wife and I say to ourselves when we hear the, 'well, like,
you know, totally, oh my gosh, for sure, dude, whatever' Americanish on
the buses in Rome. 'Hic enim aut barbarus semisermo discendus est
aut tacendum est.' For around here one either has to learn a barbarous
half-language or say nothing at all. St. Jerome's seventh letter. And these are the college students who are wealthy enough and
"educated" enough to spend a semester abroad in Rome. Lord, save us from
education!"

Thursday, November 24, 2016

Rev. Mr. Philip Gerard Johnson will be ordained priest on January 7, 2017!

I was honored to receive an invitation in the mail for his ordination. I remember well meeting for the first time Philip and his parents outside the entrance to the Vatican Museums. Later, I met his parents in Piazza Navona, and his father was kind enough to offer me a beer!

Philip is one of the best. A book could be written on the witness of his incredible story, an adventure which brought him from the U.S. Navy to the altar of ordination!

The last pope to ride in a horse-drawn carriage was Paul VI, during the 1970s energy crisis.

The golden one, depicted here, is the most beautiful. It is an enclosed, horse-drawn carriage known as the gold papal stage coach, seen here in the Vatican Museums.

The famous gold stage coach of the British Royal Family is still in use in London, England. Commissioned in 1760, it has been used at the coronation of every British monarch since George IV.

I think we should bring back the papal stage coaches. Each pope had one commissioned for him as a gift. The last was for Pius XI.

They can all be seen in this newly rearranged underground pavilion in the Vatican Museums, which is finally open with regular hours! Now they just need a better sign for visitors to know where and what it is.

It is always beautiful to see this is the sacristy of St. Mary Major. I wish it could be framed in every sacristy. Priest of God, celebrate this Mass as though it was your first Mass, your only Mass, your last Mass. It has been said to witness the Mass of Pope St. Pius X was something else. I can believe it.

It is called Le Oranti. Painted in 1918. The artist is the former Fascist, Antonio Giuseppe Sangata.

It is shameful to see Christ depicted as a Venus, a sexually ambivalent Aphrodite.

Considering the sheer volume of great artwork kept in the Musei Vaticani deposits because there is ostensibly no space on the walls, it would be nice to see this pale work replaced and done away with forever.

A job well done. This is how it's done. Annual meeting. Invite everyone. Great speaker. Time to chat. Business is done. Nice meal. Renew membership and encourage new members!

Thanks to David and to the other organizers. A very fine job. This is a fine way to introduce others to the movement and to include them while giving an introduction to what it's all about.

The speaker was the great Dr. Peter Kwasniewski, PhD from Wyoming Catholic College. I first met Dr. Peter in Rome. He is the finest liturgical theologian that I know of teaching in the U.S.A. May God reward him. I encourage others to buy his books and to consider him as a speaker at your next event. For his bio, see HERE.

Constructed in the 1930s by Polish immigrants, the artisans included Stalin as a gargoyle (seen on the left). Poles remember the date March 1, 1953, the day Stalin passed. Even Pope St. John Paul II recalled this monumental date in his memoirs.

Thursday, November 10, 2016

The ablution cup is kept on the gradine, as seen here, with a small pure linen finger towel. After a priest distributes Holy Communion, he dips his right index finger and thumb in here. It catches particles from the sacred hosts. When it is cleaned, the water is released into the natural ground.

This was always a common scene in Rome - the Lectionary covered. The Epistle and Gospel chanted from a covered book. Some of the covers were quite ornate. Sometimes in rather rough shape. This one looks terrific.